STANLEY SAYS

A BLOG ABOUT THINGS I LEARN. BASICALLY.
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I expected them to be good, I mean I absolutely knew they'd be good and have wanted to see them for almost six years now, but they exceeded my expectations. I thought it would be difficult for them to maintain the crowd's concentration for an entire set since their songs are generally a slow-paced almost etherial expression of pure Los Angeles cool, but there again was I wrong.

They churned out hit after hit in the most effortless fashion with so much conviction you'd think they were born with their instruments fused to their fingers. There was a lot of on-stage hair twizzling, several 'in jokes' and a general consensus that the 'Birmingham haters' need to eff off because we have 'great canals', all of which put us at ease and kind of made us feel like we were sitting in on band practice. The vocals were so light and note-perfect, the new songs were clear dancefloor fillers and everyone left wanting to call up their girlfriends and form a band. If that's not a sign of a good night, I don't know what is.

Tuesday, 17 February 2015

The Laurent-Perrier Champagne Bar located on the 25th Floor of The Cube, Birmingham boasts what I would argue to be the best view in Birmingham.

YES B-Town

I treated my well-deserving mom to Afternoon Tea here as a Christmas present, joining the other thirty parties, waving our Groupon papers in harmony [thanks Groupon], and will gladly say that the almost-360 degree-views alone were worth the money. This is especially true if you time your visit to include the beginning of sunset, which yesterday seemed to start at around 4pm [NB you are not on holiday but you are allowed to trick your brain once in a while].

So orange.

Whilst the food offered was nothing spectacular [the cheese and pickle sandwiches were a surprise] and the presentation wasn't particularly inspiring, unlike most of the Alice-in-Wonderland-esque offerings at the minute, the general ambience and surroundings of this bar definitely make it deserving of a place on your checklist.

Monday, 1 September 2014

I'VE been compelled to return by my plants. "Wow. This girl's crazy. She's living on the edge!' you say. Perhaps not, but for those of you who followed the progress of my chilli plants when I lived in London, you'll love this:

CHILI PLANT #2: Whilst not the original, my second chilli plant seems to be swallowing steroids and dipping itself in green paint whilst I'm at work...

Look how tall you are, O plant of chilliness

Probably the greenest plant I'll ever grow

There may not be any actual chilis growing at the moment, but by the looks of things they'll be

sumo sized and will probably blow my head off. If this works i'll be making my own spicy Jam by next year. Probably. Maybe.

TOMATO PLANT #1: Now this i've never tried before, but since i've had an urge to grow my own veggies without actually having a garden, I opted for tomatoes. If you're planning on doing the same,

there's something you should probably know:

Cheeky orange blob in the background

They are incredibly lanky. They grow at the speed of light but don't have the strength to hold their weight, so they start flopping over themselves and growing facing down. That is of course unless you find some twigs in the street or happen to live near a shop

specialising in bamboo sticks. I took the first option and watched as my partner tied each

floppy branch to some twigs we found in the street [because I was doing something more

important which probably involved pizza and/or wedges]. So far I have eight tomatoes

growing, ONE of which is on the way to becoming the correct colour. Watch this space...

Thursday, 12 June 2014

THIS post should have been written a few weeks ago when I had my first culinary experience at the brand spanking new Turtle Bay located on John Bright St. in Birmingham. Due to a string of successes, they now also have restaurants in Bristol, Leamington Spa, Leicester, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Nottingham and Southampton, which tells me that they're doing something right.

As soon as you walk in you notice a real warmth to the atmosphere, the music is definitely someone's Summer playlist and the staff are all smiling and very welcoming; that's all before you've even tried the food.

There is another word next to 'Laid'..I just can't remember what it was.

Something to note: It's almost always Happy Hour there! There's pretty much every (Rum) cocktail you could ever think of and that, added to the Caribbean beach hut feel of the place, really sends you away with the beach fairies.

YES you bar of rumtastic delights.

The minute our food came, I was won over. If you can smell your food before it's even placed in front of you [and it's not a smell of the bad kind] it's always a good sign:

Get.In.My.Belleh.

I went for the Curry, Shrimp and Mango which came with 'rice 'n peas' and a whole load of incredible spices. By far on of the tastiest curries I have ever had the pleasure of devouring. One thing I will say is that the there wasn't much of the curry at all [something you can't really tell from this photo] and I could have eaten another two portions [at least], but I may have just caught someone on a bad pot-filling day as other photos I have seen tell a different story.

I've never seen a burger look so happy.

My garcon went for the Pulled Chicken Bun which came with rocket, Caribbean slaw and fries, all of which were devoured in about five minutes:

F E A S T.

We also went for some Jerk Pit Prawns which were cooked perfectly [and not somethered in sauce so you could taste the real flavour of the pit, which may or may not sound nice to you], some sweet potato chips with CHEESE and spices and some crunchy chick peas. These are something I have never had before but they're pretty moreish and crunchy. Very crunchy.

For some reason the decor really reminded me of Disneyworld's

Blizzard Beach. WEIRD.

I will most definitely be returning to this restaurant, a brilliant addition to the new wave of eateries gracing us in Birmingham, to try the rest [the entirety] of the menu. It is very reasonably priced, produces good quality, fresh food and makes me feel like I am on holiday. Did I mention it's almost always Happy Hour?

This was an experience in itself! Two gentleman greet you at the train station dressed in

traditional Indian clothing. Once on the train you're offered drinks and asked for your order; starters and main dishes only as you are given a selection and unlimited supply of side dishes and rice to accompany your chosen plates.After a very scenic journey through beautiful fields and lots of greenery you arrive at the station and, at the same time, at the restaurant which is located on the platform [how convenient?!]. Once at the restaurant and after a few drinks, you're taken to your table [already having ordered on the train]. What follows is some beautifully cooked, completely fresh food and possibly the largest Tandoori King Prawns I have ever seen. We were a party of eight and all had nothing but good things to say about the food, as well as the service. I thoroughly recommend this experience if visiting Newcastle!

This weekend will see me venturing no further than Birmingham city centre so I can perform for Elicit at Talk Bar where i'll be playing through an acoustic set at around 8:30pm. You'll get five live acts, three DJs and a partridge in a pair tree for your money which is pretty good going.

Monday, 19 May 2014

THIS weekend saw the weather miraculously change into what can only be described as what I imagine the British weather in Heaven to be like. As a result I managed to get outside a bit and do a few things:ONE] Attend a Hen Night at Moxhull Hall: For my first ever Hen Night [at least in the UK] I was invited to Moxhull Hall in Wishaw, Sutton Coldfield. The first thing to say about this hotel is that the grounds are beautiful.

I could have taken a much better photo of the actual grounds and the

grass piano but I was too busy doing Hen Night things.

The features and general style of this Victorian mansion have definitely been preserved, with stone

Each guest had their own name card and was greeted with a lovely little goody bag filled with treats:

Satisfying my sugar needs on every level

After this came a fresh and filling three-course dinner ranging from Mozarella to Paté, Belly Pork to Sea

Bass and Eton Mess [complete with an upside-down ice cream cone] to a Chocolate and (spot the)

Blueberry Brownie with an oozy hot chocolate sauce. And then this happened:

Thank you Maria for a wonderful night and BEST OF LUCK with the final planning stages! See you at the wedding!

TWO] I went to Sutton Park: This is something I like to do a lot in my old age, not least because I literally live opposite the place [I hear the ducks quacking more than I hear traffic]. This weekend wasn't much different, except for the fact that:

We were followed by cows.

I mean, at first we just bumped into them,

but then they followed us.

They stopped to scratch themselves, yes,

but they definitely followed us.

This scene was beautiful, but we couldn't stay there longer than

two minutes on account of the overpowering smell of

fresh cow shit.

So we opted for a grassy bank where we stayed for a while,

dozing off in the sun.

And then [I'm not even joking] the cows returned.

Having said that, they were probably the friendliest cows i've ever had the pleasure of meeting. Also I urge

you all to have a wander through Sutton Park at some point whilst we still have the sun in our reach. Not

only is it the biggest Urban Park in Europe, it's quieter than any park you'll ever go to [esp if you live in London] and there's an abundance of wonderful little doggies running round enjoying life.

THREE] I bought a guitar: I felt it was time, plus it was my birthday last weekend:

Hey there beautiful Tanglewood

I bought this from Fairdeal Music which is pretty much opposite the Sunflower Lounge in town. They sell all sorts of things from pedals to Mandolins and are very very helpful to boot. I'll be trying my new friend out on Saturday 31st May at Talk Bar for Elicit, tickets for which can be found HERE. Stage time to follow!

Tuesday, 13 May 2014

ONE] Eating at Annexe, Birmingham: This restaurant on Corporation street opposite the Law Courts is a complete hidden gem. I wanted to go somewhere that had a good atmosphere, was reasonably priced but had great food to show for it; this made Annexe the perfect location to say goodbye to my twenty fifth year. The service is impeccable, from the moment you are greeted outside the front door to the minute you leave, something which is lacking at many places at the moment [not least at new Turtle Bay where a bar manager actually pulled a face at us after speaking rather abruptly/sarcastically just before we promptly headed to The Lost and Found then Annexe]. The first thing that struck me was the music: all the 30s classics with a pinch of le Francais. The second was the decor:

Yes that is a piano placed in front of a large projected Fred Astair (I think)

Yes that is a wonderfully 30s pattern on french-style mirrors.

Whilst my photographs had clearly felt the effects of alcohol, my stomach hadn't, and I tucked into every

freshly- made and delicious course as though I hadn't eaten in a week. We did have an altercation with a piece

of cod that had been overcooked and left out, but this was dealt with swiftly and professionally as we were

offered a champagne and cherry cocktail by the manager amid several apologies. Needless to say a new

piece arrived that was brilliantly flakey and worth the wait. Dish of the evening for me had to be Scallops of The

Day wrapped in pancetta and served with celeriac purée and pesto which practically melted in the mouth. I

was told that the Rosemary Beef was equally full of flavour. Unfortunately this is where my photographic imput

ends but you're going to have to take a wander down and have a look for yourself!

FACT: Annexe holds 'Show Nights' every so often which basically consist of dressing up like a 30s Hollywood star, enjoying the live performances and eating like a king. The next one is THIS FRIDAY 16th May with the theme of 'Opulence, Burlesque, Hollywood Glamour'

Milton Keyneson my actual birthday. This, my friends, is an amazing gift. If [like me] you get to your

lesson and suddenly find yourself overcome with fear DO NOT WORRY. THIS IS NORMAL. Was I scared?

Yes:

Here's me looking scared

Did I have an amazing time? Yes. Did I want to go back yesterday and today? YES. I have no idea

how much the lessons are [and will not look] but am assured they are great value for money.

I'm not sure how but I mastered everything. Birthday luck.

The great thing about this place is the real snow. It's one thing to learn how to ski on a completely smooth surface but it's another ball game to be able to handle your skis when they're buried under a mound of

snow.

Actual amazing snow

Thanks must go to my instructor 'Lemmon' who:

a] was patient, encouraging and uplifting in instances of frustration [of which there were a few]

b] pushed me down the slope backwards, about fifteen minutes into the lesson, and

c] taught me how to ski in three hours.

I'll definitely be back soon to complete levels 3 and 4 and basically rule the slopes. NB These lessons are

not age-specific as far as I can tell on account of the four year old twins who showed me up.